Slade: We don't need partisan vitriol in local politics

Robert SladeOther Voices

A recent letter to the editor by Jason Sidock panning House of Delegates candidate David Ellin grasped my attention. I do not know Mr. Ellin and at this point have not decided whom I will vote for in the upcoming elections.

The letter contained in several points I think the voters of Carroll County need to consider when they cast their vote. Do the citizens of Carroll County desire a medical malpractice attorney who practices law in Baltimore County to represent them? And, I have to admit the LED sign outside his office at the intersection of I-795 and Md. 140 is a little tacky. But, how does he compare to the other candidates vying for a seat in the House of Delegates? It is also fair to scrutinize where a candidate gets his or her campaign contributions. If the information in the letter by Mr. Sidock is correct, it is clear he did some research into the candidate, which is a good thing.

The concern I have is the point the writer makes criticizing Mr. Ellin for fomerly being a Democrat. Who, other than Mr. Ellin, knows why he switched party affiliations? Why does it matter? Maybe he switched because he thought the voters of Carroll County would not give him a fair look if he had a “D” after his name or maybe his political views evolved over time. It should not matter. Some other notable former Democrats are former Commissioner Perry Jones, former President Ronald Reagan and current President Donald Trump. I believe Del. Haven Shoemaker was even once a Democrat or at least he worked on the political campaign years back for Democratic commissioner candidate.

My point is you should cast your vote not based on political affiliation or past political affiliation but after careful consideration at the candidate’s platform and experience. Having lived my entire life in Carroll County I know for a fact the extreme political partisanship we see in Carroll did not always exist. Carroll was always a conservative-leaning county but prior to the 2000s we had a mix of Democratic and Republican county political leaders like Commissioner Jeff Griffith and Del. Richard N. Dixon.

The severe vitriol between the parties is kind of politics that lead to the recent federal government shutdown. When that happens we all lose!

I feel it is also, I believe, fair to point out that Gov. Larry Hogan would not have won and will not win in 2018 if he doesn’t garner a large number of Democratic votes in the general election. There just are not enough registered Republicans in our state for Hogan to win without Democrats. With the exception of the state’s pending lawsuits against the Trump administration, Gov. Hogan and the Democratic-run state legislature have shown that divided government can work. I think Gov. Hogan and our state legislature deserve credit for advancing the interests of the state on Maryland and not producing the type of gridlock we see in Washington.

No one person or political party has a monopoly on good ideas. Compromise is not a dirty word. So when it comes to our local House of Delegates race, look at all the candidates and make an educated decision on whom you think will represent Carroll best in Annapolis.